896 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



PRESENT EXTENT OF SUSTAINED- YIELD PRACTICE ON 

 PRIVATE FOREST LANDS 



The formation of constructive forest policies for the future requires 

 information as to how the remaining forest stands are being handled. 

 Liquidation can be discontinued only through giving forest lands such 

 care as will enable them to produce growth approximately equal in 

 volume and value to the annual cut. 



CONDITIONS IN COMMERCIAL FORESTS 



During the year 1930 the Society of American Foresters, assisted 

 by the Forest Service and by State foresters and others, made a 

 Nation-wide investigation of the present management of private 

 forest-land holdings more than 1,000 acres in extent. The investiga- 

 tion naturally centered on saw-timber and cordwood areas where cut- 

 ting operations are still possible. There are perhaps 125 million acres 

 of these areas, the size of the individual area averaging 1,000 acres or 

 more. The results of this survey are shown in the following tabula- 

 tion. All totals must be considered separately, because they overlap. 



1. Companies or individuals making conscious effort to grow tim- 



ber commercially 288 



Acres under industrial forestry management 20, 951, 635 



2. Companies giving their lands good care without timber-growing 



purpose, whose chance to inaugurate forestry practice is still 



good 42 



Acres represented by these 42 companies 2, 243, 500 



3. Companies using careful cutting methods designed to promote 



natural regeneration. 178 



Acres represented by these 178 companies 10, 568, 076 



4. Companies attempting to put their holdings on sustained-yield 



basis 40 



Acres represented by these 40 companies 3, 496, 631 



5. Companies providing effective fire control independently of pub- 



lic cooperation, in addition to other forestry activities 253 



Acres represented by these 253 companies 16, 884, 897 



6. Companies practicing close utilization in the woods 75 



Acres represented by these 75 companies 5, 896, 736 



7. Companies making growth studies 8 



8. Companies employing foresters in timber-production activities- _ 79 



Foresters so employed 146 



9. Companies using consulting foresters 77 



10. Companies using regional association foresters' services 7 



(There is a general tendency to use Federal and State 

 advice, and a few companies cooperate with forest schools.) 



11. Companies planting beyond apparently experimental scale 76 



Acres represented (approximately) 100, 000 



1 2 . Companies producing nursery stock for planting 14 



Trees produced annually by these 14 companies 30, 000, 000 



13. Companies spending money to control insects or diseases 60 



14. Companies using improved practices in turpentine operations 



(estimated) 48 



Acres represented (estimated) 1, 500, 000 



During the present year data of similar nature have been procured 

 by the Forest Service. No very material change has been noted in 

 the extent of private forestry effort; in some regions, however, a 

 tendency to abandon forestry practices is indicated. This tendency 

 is rather more marked in the West than in the East. It was found 

 impossible to segregate private owners' efforts in the field of forest 

 fire protection from the efforts of public agencies cooperating with 

 them. (Cooperative fire protection is discussed in other sections of 



